


Small Temptations

by icarus_chained



Category: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Coffee, Flirting, Gen, M/M, Tea, Temptation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-01
Updated: 2012-05-01
Packaged: 2017-11-04 16:17:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/395756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icarus_chained/pseuds/icarus_chained
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a small ficlet. How to make a <i>proper</i> cup of tea, and why Aziraphale sometimes ... doesn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Small Temptations

Not many people knew this, but Aziraphale was actually a secret traitor.

Well, of course, following the almost-Apocalypse, _lots_ of people knew that Aziraphale was a secret traitor, or at least harbouring some traitorous allegiances. But he wasn't talking about _that_. He wasn't talking about Heaven, Hell, any of that sort of thing. He was talking about the _important_ things.

Like a decent cup of tea.

Now, a lot of people will tell you that there is, of course, a certain way to brew a proper cup of tea. None of that pre-packaged, market teabag stuff. That much was certain. Of course, various people argued for different things beyond that: different blends, loose leaf versus those little metal ball thingies, milk before water or vice versa, and so forth. But most of them agreed that a _proper_ cup of tea did not come out of a plastic-wrapped cardboard box, in a little triangular bag that you plopped in the bottom of the mug (a _mug_ , for Someone's sake! *shudders*). No proper tea drinker would have anything to do with that sort of thing.

And _certainly_ not, horror of horrors, anything to do with a mug of _coffee_. And _instant_ coffee, at that. Especially with a demon hovering over his shoulder, gleefully pointing out that one of the premier advantages of said beverage was that it was 'quick and dirty, and full of instant gratification'. Oh, good gracious, no.

But ... well, like many things that Crowley gleefully espoused, and Aziraphale vehemently denied, there were moments when ... Well. You know what they say about temptation, yes? And Crowley, bless him, was the very _soul_ of temptation. Not because of any grand seductive gestures, but because he made it all seem so _small_. So trivial. And so very, very easy.

The upshot being that, while Aziraphale was always very quick to debate the _proper_ way of doing things, always willing to stand behind the patience required to brew (among other things) the perfect cup of tea ... There were times when the lure of something quick, and dark, and rich, and eager ... was too much to be denied, really.

Not many people knew Aziraphale was a secret traitor. Or, well, perhaps they did, now. One thing, perhaps, was much like the other. The big things, and the small. On Earth, as in Heaven. But even so. There was one thought with which he comforted himself. That some things, no matter how instant and fleeting their gratification appeared to be, no matter how quick and dirty and dark they seemed ... could also be, with care, the most lasting of all pleasures.

Raising the mug to his lips, he met golden eyes, rich and dark and eager, and softly smiled.


End file.
